lt is one of the most haunting photos in the Edmonton Journal archives: a picture of Thomas Svekla, dressed in a green camouflage jacket and tinted round sunglasses, smiling tauntingly at the camera, his finger held to his lips. “Shhhh,” he seems to be saying. “I’ve got a secret.”

Trades Alberta: Keeping workforce young motivates employer to hire apprentices and high school students

Pro-V Manufacturing LP President Greg Prinsen, left, and apprentice Gary Anderson at the manufacturing shop in Edmonton. Prinsen is quite active in hiring apprentices and Registered Apprentice Program students in Edmonton.

Photograph by: JASON FRANSON
, Edmonton Journal

As president of Pro-V Manufacturing LP, Greg Prinsen sees first-hand the many benefits to hiring apprentices at his firm.

There are advantages when it comes to succession — “we always have some youth coming through the company,” he says — and in the loyalty that is built over three- and four-year apprentice terms.

Pro-V, a firm recently acquired by the Supreme Group that specializes in manufacturing, construction and maintenance, has about 220 employees working at its facilities in Acheson Industrial Park in Parkland County, west of Edmonton. That number includes 47 apprentices and three high school students enrolled in the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) in welding and pipe trades.

“The whole industry in general has to hire apprentices to keep our workforce young,” Prinsen said. “We do have an aging workforce and we need to train some of these young people to become good tradespeople.”

In 2012, more than 60,000 registered apprentices trained at about 14,000 employer sites around Alberta. They spend about 80 per cent of their apprenticeship on the job, learning from a certified journeyperson, and the other 20 per cent receiving technical training at a post-secondary institution.

Also in 2012, more than 1,300 high school students were registered in the RAP and employed at more than 1,000 sites — including three students at Pro-V.

Prinsen said hiring locally is another priority. RAP students from nearby high schools on Edmonton’s west end as well as Spruce Grove and Stony Plain have entered training at Pro-V and gone on to complete their apprenticeships at the company.

“A big reason why we look to use the RAP program is we find it really builds loyalty and students stay with us,” Prinsen said.

Such younger students are often excited to get started in their chosen trade and earn some money, but starting slowly is key at Pro-V.

“We don’t just throw them out to the wolves. We have them do very basic stuff ... they need to understand our practices and safety,” Prinsen said.

In addition to working with local high schools, Prinsen said Pro-V also hires through the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC), a union with 33 locals across the country, as well as job fairs and advertisements.

“There’s always challenges but our workforce is very stable right now,” Prinsen said.

Andy Neigel is president of Careers: The Next Generation, an organization that raises youth awareness of career opportunities through partnerships with government, education, industry, parents and students. The organization offers internship programs in trades and industrial technologies, including placing students in the Alberta government’s Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). The program allows high school students to accumulate hours toward their first year apprenticeship and high school credits.

While students benefit from the program by exploring career options and, if they find a fit, getting a head-start on their career, employers benefit too, Neigel said.

“My experience is young people tend to be very motivated, productive and passionate about trying a career path. They ask a lot of why questions, and asking why in your organization is a good thing,” Neigel said.

“A lot of times they’re just asking about learning skills for their trade, but other times the questions cause veterans in the organization to think, ‘why do we do that? Maybe there is a different way.’”

Employers of any size can take on a RAP student, as long as they are eligible to employ apprentices. Employers must pay RAP students at least minimum wage.

The employer’s role is to provide mentorship and coaching, Neigel said, and that includes taking the time to ensure a RAP apprentice is matched up with a journeyperson willing to help them out.

Having a good teacher on-site is critical to the student’s success, Neigel said.

His organization helps out by talking to several students and ensuring there is a good match between the student and prospective employer. Once a match has been made, students are in the workplace for a 125-hour internship.

“The 125 hours allows the student to kick the tires of a career path, and allows the employer to say this is going to work for me or maybe not. It gives both the employer and student the opportunity to say this is for me or maybe it’s not,” Neigel said.

If the internship is successful, the employer can then register the student as a RAP apprentice.

And while some employers are hesitant to bring someone so young — often under 18-years-old — onto the job site, Neigel says ensuring a safe workplace for a RAP student is no different than for other employees.

“I think it’s no different than bringing on a 25-year-old, 35-year-old or 45-year-old. The challenge to ensuring everybody is safe is the same,” Neigel said, adding that in his experience, younger students have no problem telling an employer, “I’m not comfortable with this” or “Stop here, I need to go over it again.”

Pro-V Manufacturing LP President Greg Prinsen, left, and apprentice Gary Anderson at the manufacturing shop in Edmonton. Prinsen is quite active in hiring apprentices and Registered Apprentice Program students in Edmonton.

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